Farmers' Corner

Fight WOTUS!

EPA’s jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act would expand immensely under its proposed Waters of the U.S. Rule. Among the numerous questionable provisions, the rule would define “navigable waters” so as to regulate countless ephemeral drains, ditches and “wetlands” that only contain water when it rains. But whether they are wet or dry on any given day, farming, home building, business expansions, commercial development and countless other land uses in or near these land features will require a federal permit. Permits might take years, or might never be issued. The result amounts to nothing short of federal zoning authority.

This is not what Congress had in mind when it wrote the Clean Water Act.

SCFB strongly opposes the proposed WOTUS rule and recommends its withdrawal. The rule is bad for farmers, bad for families, and bad for small businesses. The additional regulations and federal permitting paperwork will have severe consequences on South Carolina farms and could result in lost profits or force operations to close altogether. A copy of SCFB’s comments on the WOTUS rule can be found here .